


The right Partner

by LadyMe



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Anti Steve Rogers, F/M, Not Steve Rogers Friendly, peggysous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2020-11-27 03:22:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20941466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMe/pseuds/LadyMe
Summary: Peggy and Steve's relationship isn't working out anymore so Daniel decides that Peggy is in desperate need of a vacation.





	1. The wrong Partner

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Peggysous4life](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peggysous4life/gifts).

“Peggy!”

She shot up. 

„Sorry,” she tried to smile. „I was just thinking of something else.”

Daniel sighed. 

“Peggy, are you alright?” He sat down next to her. 

“Yes,” Peggy said. “Yes, of course.”She didn’t look at him while talking, instead opting to rearrange the perfectly neat files on her desk. 

“So,” she continued. “The new recruits?”

Daniel sighed again. 

“Is it Steve?” he tried again and Peggy froze. Bloody hell, he just knew her far too well. 

“Am I that easy to read?” She sounded resigned. 

“No, it’s just that… things between the two of you have been… strained these last couple months and I’m just worried, I guess.“ It took Daniel no more than a second to realize what he just said and what kind of response he’d most likely get. His eyes went wide and he held his hand up in defense. 

„Not that I don’t think that Steve isn’t a… great guy or that there is anything wrong with your relationship or that you wouldn‘t be able to take care of it… if there were any problems that is.“he trailed of weakly. Daniel hesitantly dragged his eyes away from his shoes and to Peggy‘s face, expecting her to at least be annoyed. He didn‘t expect the look an her face as she replied.

„No, it‘s alright. You, You‘re right.“she nodded decisivly. „Oh don‘t look so surprised!“she snapped when she saw his mouth hanging open. Then she sighed again. „It‘s just that I thought it would be different.“

Silence.

„Better.“ she admitted. „I tought it would be better.“She slumped in her chair. Whe n it became clear she wouldn‘t continue talking on her own Daniel tentatively laid a hand on her shoulder.

„Better how?“he questioned.

Peggy shifted in her seat bevor continuing to talk. „It’s just. During the war I had a purpose. And people recognized that no matter how much they disliked me. Now that it’s over people go back to disregarding me. I don’t like that, of course i don’t. I can deal with that because I know my worth. But it’s so much harder when your own Partner doesn’t have you back.“ Peggy look down at her hands that were fiddling with a pen. She exhaled slowly. „I think,“she started. „I think it would have been better if we hadn’t found him in the ice.“She fell silent again.

Daniel was at a loss. Of course he had noticed that Peggy’s relationship with Rogers was getting worse but the way Peggy was talking about him almost made it sound like she wished him dead. Sure, he didn’t like Rogers much after he had finally met him personally and he was pretty sure that at least some of the reasons for his strong dislike towards the Captain came from a place of objectivity but he hat assumed that a great number oft them stemmed from his jealousy as well. Maybe he should have listened more to his gut-feeling.

Something would have to be done.


	2. The Ex-Partner

Steve wasn’t ‘stalking’ Peggy.

  
He wasn’t.

  
And even if he were, it would be justified. He knew right away something was fishy, when Peggy and Sousa left this morning for a week-long surveillance mission without him. That usually didn’t happen. Yes, they may have had a point when they argued that he was too recognizable but that didn’t mean he shouldn’t be alowed to come. Peggy usually knew better than to deny him something. No, something was definitely going on and nobody was bothering to tell him! He let out a huff and knelt back down.

He had been observing Peggy and Sousa since they arrived here and nothing had happen. Or at least no surveilling. One hour and about forty-five minutes ago they had arrived at the cottage. They unpacked and sat down in the kitchen for what Steve presumed was a mission-briefing. Peggy had made tea for the both of them and Sousa had brought biscuits. After that they retreated into their respective rooms. Steve had hidden in the bushes by the entrance and waited for them to come out. It hadn’t happend.

  
So now, almost two hours later, he snuck back to the living room window. Peeking in he saw Daniel Sousa sitting at the table looking through a stack of papers, his cruch leaning on his chair.

  
Steve grimaced. He never understood why the injured man continued to do such dangerous work. Didn’t he know he only slowed the others down? Steve shook his head. It was clearly a case of hurt pride. He was only an Agent because he wanted to prove he could still do it. Steve hoped for Sousa’s sake the other man would soon stop being unreasonable.

  
He took another look inside. Still the same. There was no point in sticking around if nothing happened. He’d come back tomorrow.  
As he turned around to maybe still find a hotel in the town below he saw Peggy entering the living room. Steve, once again glued tot he window, watched as she sat down opposite of Sousa and started to talk to him. He seethed as Sousa said something that made Peggy burst into laughter. She never laughed like that with him! Peggy actually looked happy! She definitly enjoyed Sousa company way too much.

  
Of course Steve had known that Sousa liked Peggy a little too much but he never had expeced him to actually try and seduce her! The nerve! He had thought the SSR Agent would be more honorable but it seemed like he was wrong. Steve continued to watch them talk and by the time Peggy and Sousa were sitting on the couch sharing a bottle of wine he was so angry he could barely control himself.

  
He growled and slunk back into the bushes. The little town was quite the popular tourist spot from what he had gathered so there would be no point in looking for a hotel this late at night. They’d all be full by now. He would just have to spend the night in the woods.


	3. A dancing Partner

Peggy sighed contently.  
Taking a break had been a great idea. Getting away from Steve had been a great idea.   
It should't make her so happy, to have a man around who helped with the dishes or did his own laundry but to Peggy it felt glorious. It had only been three days and Peggy already preferred living with Daniel over living with Steve. The cabin was clean since they shared their responsibilities, they treated each other respectfully and Daniel's personality was only the cherry on top.  
Talking to him about heavy or serious topics had always been easier than talking to Steve. In the past this had led to a bit of a tension between her colleague and her boyfriend. Now, without Steve's constant jealousy and nagging, she finally felt at peace, something she hadn't felt since Steve first saw her talking to Daniel.

She took a sip of her tea and hissed. Still too hot. Peggy gently blew on the hot liquid and thought about what she should do.   
A whole free week. She hadn't had the luxury of a whole free week in years. Not really anyway. She had taken time of, of course, when Steve had thought she needed it, but time alone with Steve wasn't exactly relaxing.  
She was glad he wasn't here. And the longer she thought about it, the less she wanted to go back. To that life.  
Peggy heard the door creak and looked up to see Daniel walk into the room. He was leaning on his crutch, his right hand clutching a pile of mission-reports. He smiled at her in his sweet, earnest way, unsuspecting of her thoughts and Peggy decided right then and there that she would change her life.

After the war she thought she'd be happy with Steve. She had been wrong. She'd been wrong and for so long she hadn't been able to admit it to herself. She had wanted to make it work for so long but Steve and they relationship were a lost cause. Nothing to make work, nothing to save. She had once agin let others define her life plans but this time no one would have to die to make her realise this.   
She'd tell Steve that as soon as she came back to their house, though she suspected she wouldn't live there any longer, once Steve realised her intentions. Maybe she'd be able to stay with Angie for a while though Peggy had no idea, if her landlady would allow such a thing. She had heard the woman was extraordinarily strict.   
Or maybe she'd ask Daniel. Sure it wasn't proper but Peggy could no longer deny how very much she'd like to live together with Daniel. Forever, if she had her way.

She looked over to where Daniel was still pouring over those reports. Maybe she'd read a book tonight. Her gaze wandered over to the coffee table where her book was lying. Next to the radio. Peggy smiled. The book could wait, she had a better idea.   
She took the radio and turned the volume low enough to prevent Daniel from hearing anything. She switched channels until she found the perfect song. Slow, so Daniel could still dance, and romantic. 'It's been a long, long time' by Leon Drumz the Host said. She turned the volume back up again until music filled the air and walked over to Daniel who was looking at her questioning. She stopped a few steps away from him and held out her hand.  
"Dance with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a little research and turns out the song Peggy and Steve are dancing to in Endgame is 'It’s been a long, long time' by Leon Drumsz s oI thought it would be fitting to have Peggy and Daniel dance to it here.   
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

"Dance with me."  
Daniel stared at her. Peggy was standing in front of him, her hand outstretched. She was wearing her red dress today.  
Daniel just kept staring. He was distantly aware of the fact that his mouth was hanging open. The longer he stared the more he realised that Peggy wasn't joking so after a few moments of staring slack-jawed at his fellow Agent he gathered what was left of his wits and tried to form a cohesive sentence.

"Uhh… I don't, I mean I can't, I don't uhhh… dance…I mean! The leg!" Oh god he had started to ramble. "I can't dance with my leg!" It had taken a lot to power through that one sentence and Daniel felt that familiar insecurity inside of him raising it's ugly head. The woman he loved had asked him to dance with her and his crippled leg prevented him from giving her what she wanted. How humiliating! He shifted on his chair trying to mask his disappointment and annoyance with himself but Peggy only rolled her eyes at him and smiled.

And oh, her smile.   
In the last few days she had started to smile again and he felt a surge of pride every time it happened because of him. He had noticed her smiling less for a few months but until they came here he hadn't realised how insincere her happiness had been lately.  
It had left him with butterflies in his stomach when she had beamed at him with full force for the first time in half a year. 

As she smiled at him now, all gentleness and understanding he felt his insides melt. Focusing all his attention on trying to appear put together he almost missed when she said next.

"I've seen you dance." she countered, her voice soft even though her words were meant as a challenge.

Daniel felt himself blush. She'd seen him. It must have been at one of those awkward office parties, couples sharing the dance floor with those Agents confident, or rather cocky, enough to ask one of the staff. Parties that left him standing in one of the corners, tapping his foot to the jazzy songs and swaying in place whenever a slow song came. And she'd seen that. This day was just getting worse and worse.

"That's not dancing, Peggy." he saw her trying to protest and cut her off immediately."No, I mean it. What I do isn't real dancing and you, _especially you_, deserve someone who can do that. Someone who can match you." and your greatness he didn't say.

He had lowered his head as he was talking but when Peggy didn't respond he slowly raised it again. She looked him straight in the eyes and when he looked into hers in return he saw a mixture of hurt and hope. Her hand was still outstretched.

"It doesn't matter." her voice was still soft but less challenging and much more pleading now than it was before. Her smile still gentle and understanding but also a little unsure. His heart broke at the thought that he had caused her pain, however small it may be.

"It doesn't matter," she repeats. "as long as you have the right partner. Please, Daniel. Dance with me."

There's something in her eyes as she says it, something that makes him believe that her words hold more meaning than he is currently aware of. As he takes her hand he swears to himself that he'll find out some day.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Peggy lets out a sigh of relief as Daniel finally takes her hand and stands up. He takes his crutch in his left hand puts his right on Peggy's hip. Peggy can still see uncertainty in his eyes as she puts her hand on his shoulder so she smiles her encouraging smile and starts to sway to the music.  
They don't talk as they dance and after a while Peggy lays her head on Daniels shoulder. Right now, in that moment she wishes for time to stop. If she could stay here for all eternity, dancing with Daniel she would be happy. If the song would never end.

But it does. And as the song ends and the pair stops swaying Peggy stares into Daniels eyes. She's looking for something, anything, to give her hope, to confirm she isn't the only one with romantic feelings. And she finds it.

So she reaches a little bit up and moves a little forward and places a kiss on Daniels lips. He reacts almost immediately to her advances and now Peggy is completely sure she didn't read him wrong. 

They take their time with the kiss, make it soft and gentle and searching. When they come back up for air there is a question in Daniels eyes. She nods. When they come back together it's much more passionate, almost wild. They keep kissing as they move to Peggy's bedroom.

They spend the next day almost entirely in bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not very good at writing romance so I hope it's fine. I hope you enjoyed this fic!

**Author's Note:**

> English isn't my first language and I don't have an Beta so sorry for any mistakes. I hope you enjoyed it anyway!


End file.
